The chain will close its stores by early January and end its DVD-by-mail service by mid-December. The shutdown will cost 2,800 jobs.

The chain will close its stores by early January and end its DVD-by-mail service by mid-December. The shutdown will cost 2,800 jobs.

Photo: Boston Globe, Getty

The chain will close its stores by early January and end its... Photo-5425507.73547 - seattlepi.com

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Eastman Kodak Co. filed for bankruptcy in 2011. The Rochester, N.Y.-based company started with George Eastman, who put out the first
simple-to-use camera in 1888. More than a
century later, the film-heavy company stumbled in the transition to a
digital world. less

Eastman Kodak Co. filed for bankruptcy in 2011. The Rochester, N.Y.-based company started with George Eastman, who put out the first
simple-to-use camera in 1888. More than a
century later, the film-heavy ... more

F.W. Woolworth opened its first five and dime store in 1879 and grew
to dominate Main Street retailing. But it didn't survive the transition
to the shopping mall era. A descendent lives on today: the shoe seller
Foot Locker.

F.W. Woolworth opened its first five and dime store in 1879 and grew to dominate Main Street retailing. But it didn't survive the transition to the shopping mall era. A descendent lives on today: the shoe

F.W. Woolworth opened its first five and dime store in 1879 and... Photo-2002191.73547 - seattlepi.com

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Seattle-based Washington Mutual dated back to 1889 and grew to become
the nation's largest Savings and Loan, with two hometown office towers
bearing its name. In 2008, it then became the largest-ever U.S. bank
failure after the housing bubble burst, and was subsumed into JPMorgan
Chase.

Seattle-based Washington Mutual dated back to 1889 and grew to become the nation's largest Savings and Loan, with two hometown office towers bearing its name. In 2008, it then became the largest-ever U.S.

Exposure to lousy subprime mortgages also did in Lehman Brothers
Holdings Inc., a venerable investment bank that declared bankruptcy on
Sept. 15, 2008, after a century and a half in business.

Exposure to lousy subprime mortgages also did in Lehman Brothers
Holdings Inc., a venerable investment bank that declared bankruptcy on
Sept. 15, 2008, after a century and a half in business.

Photo: Mario Tama, Getty Images

Exposure to lousy subprime mortgages also did in Lehman Brothers... Photo-2002220.73547 - seattlepi.com

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Tower Records started in California in 1960 and grew to dominate music retailing. Digital downloads did it in in 2006.

Tower Records started in California in 1960 and grew to dominate music retailing. Digital downloads did it in in 2006.

Photo: Jamie Rector, Getty Images

Tower Records started in California in 1960 and grew to dominate... Photo-2002218.73547 - seattlepi.com

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Ever since the transition away from horses (and probably before), the
transportation industry has been littered with once-iconic companies
that failed. Credit Studebaker with surviving the change from
horse-drawn wagons and buggies, which it started building in 1852, to
automobiles. In this picture, from 1938, a mechanic at a motor show
checks out a 1939 Studebaker. But Studebaker fell victim to competition from the Big Three (General
Motors, Ford and Chrysler) and stopped production in 1966.

The great thing about Checker taxicabs was that they continued to
look like a car from the 1960s through the end of their production run,
in 1982. Ford just stopped making the Crown Victoria, which took over
from Checker as the iconic cab model.

The great thing about Checker taxicabs was that they continued to look like a car from the 1960s through the end of their production run, in 1982. Ford just stopped making the Crown Victoria, which took

The great thing about Checker taxicabs was that they continued to... Photo-2002184.73547 - seattlepi.com

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If there's one car company that may have deserved to die, it's American
Motors Co. AMC will be forever remembered for two of what many consider
the ugliest cars of all time: the Gremlin and the Pacer (prototype shown
here in February 1973). Then again, Ford survived the Edsel and the
Pinto. less

If there's one car company that may have deserved to die, it's American
Motors Co. AMC will be forever remembered for two of what many consider
the ugliest cars of all time: the Gremlin and the Pacer ... more

Photo: Hulton Archive, Getty Images

If there's one car company that may have deserved to die,... Photo-2002195.73547 - seattlepi.com

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Oldsmobile started with cars in 1901. Here's a shot of a 1901 Olds on the road in the 1950s. A century later, Olds had become known as, well, a car for old people. It built its last car in 2004.

Oldsmobile started with cars in 1901. Here's a shot of a 1901 Olds on the road in the 1950s. A century later, Olds had become known as, well, a car for old people. It built its last car in 2004.

Photo: Three Lions, Getty Images

Oldsmobile started with cars in 1901. Here's a shot of a 1901... Photo-2002206.73547 - seattlepi.com

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Talk about iconic, Plymouth built arguably the most famous movie car
of all time: This Fury starred in the film version of Stephen King's
'Christine.'

In 2001, parent company DaimlerChrysler ended production of the last
Plymouth model, the Neon (which continued as a Dodge). Chrysler's merger
with Daimler and subsequent sale to Fiat resulted from a long-time
failure to keep up with the appeal and quality of foreign cars. GM
needed a government bailout to survive, while Ford fared just a little
better.

Talk about iconic, Plymouth built arguably the most famous movie... Photo-2002217.73547 - seattlepi.com

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Turning to the air, propeller airliners reached their pinacle in 1951, with the Lockheed Super Constellation.

But Lockheed was slow to respond to the development of the jet engine
and lost the commercial airliner market to Boeing. Lockheed stopped
building its last commercial jetliner, the L-1011 TriStar, in 1984. The
company survives as part of Lockheed Martin and is still a major defense
contractor.

Slow response to technological change wasn't the problem for de
Havilland. The British company rolled out the world's first jetliner,
the Comet, in 1949. But its time atop the industry was painfully short.
Square windows created weak points that led to failures the fuselage
wasn't built to withstand, and Comets literally blew apart in the air.
By the time de Havilland fixed the Comet, Boeing had taken the lead with
its 707.

The Comet's main legacy was in its military derivative: the Nimrod,
which the U.K. Royal Air Force is only now getting around to scrapping.
As for de Havilland, it was subsumed into Hawker Siddeley, which became
part of BAE Systems. There still are quite a few de Havilland seaplanes
in commercial service.

Slow response to technological change wasn't the problem for de Havilland. The British company rolled out the world's first jetliner, the Comet, in 1949. But its time atop the industry was painfully short.

Like Pan Am, TWA lost ground in the deregulated airline world of the
late 20th century. Then, on July 17, 1996, a TWA 747 exploded shortly
after taking off from JFK, killing all 230 people on board. The
investigation found that the probable cause was an explosion of a
flammable fuel/air mixture in the center wing fuel tank, most likely
ignited by a short circuit. TWA subsequently tried and failed to
reinvigorate itself, and merged into American Airlines in 2001.

Like Pan Am, TWA lost ground in the deregulated airline world of the late 20th century. Then, on July 17, 1996, a TWA 747 exploded shortly after taking off from JFK, killing all 230 people on board. The

Like Pan Am, TWA lost ground in the deregulated airline world of... Photo-2002219.73547 - seattlepi.com

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Music-sharing service Napster, which started in 1999, revolutionized listeners' access to music, but opened up a long-suffering struggle for musicians trying to get paid for their work. Legal battles due to copyright infringement caused Napster to halt operation in 2001 and it was later acquired by Roxio. A second incarnation of Napster was soaked up by Rhapsody in 2011. less

Music-sharing service Napster, which started in 1999, revolutionized listeners' access to music, but opened up a long-suffering struggle for musicians trying to get paid for their work. Legal battles due to ... more

Photo: Ralph Orlowski, Getty

Music-sharing service Napster, which started in 1999,... Photo-5426545.73547 - seattlepi.com

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Saturn, the "different kind of car company," began in 1985 as a subsidiary of General Motors. GM discontinued Saturn after Penske Automotive withdrew a bid to acquire it and halted production of the car in 2010. Saturn cars are known as easy to steal. less

Saturn, the "different kind of car company," began in 1985 as a subsidiary of General Motors. GM discontinued Saturn after Penske Automotive withdrew a bid to acquire it and halted production of the car in ... more

Circuit City began as Wards Company, a Richmond, Va.-based home appliance and television store, in 1949. It changed its name to Circuit City in 1981 after becoming a big box superstore and eventually became the No. 2 appliance retailer in the United States by 2000, bested only by Sears. The company went out of business in 2009 after a few years of steep layoffs and cost-cutting measures. In 2008, Blockbuster - yes, Blockbuster - withdrew a $1 billion bid to purchase the company. less

Circuit City began as Wards Company, a Richmond, Va.-based home appliance and television store, in 1949. It changed its name to Circuit City in 1981 after becoming a big box superstore and eventually became the ... more

Photo: EMMANUEL DUNAND, Getty

Circuit City began as Wards Company, a Richmond, Va.-based home... Photo-5426543.73547 - seattlepi.com

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Borders bookstore, founded in 1971 in Ann Arbor, Mich. by college-aged brothers, filed for bankruptcy and was liquidated in 2011.

Borders bookstore, founded in 1971 in Ann Arbor, Mich. by college-aged brothers, filed for bankruptcy and was liquidated in 2011.

Spokane-based Eagle Hardware and Garden was famous in the mid-'90s for featuring star Mariners players such as Edgar Martinez (remember the "light bat"? The bat hose?), Randy Johnson and Jay Buhner. The Lowe's hardware store chain bought Eagle in 1999. less

Spokane-based Eagle Hardware and Garden was famous in the mid-'90s for featuring star Mariners players such as Edgar Martinez (remember the "light bat"? The bat hose?), Randy Johnson and Jay Buhner. The Lowe's ... more

Photo: Jones Advertising

Spokane-based Eagle Hardware and Garden was famous in the... Photo-5426523.73547 - seattlepi.com

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Seattle-based Ernst hardware stores began when two Ernst brothers opened the first location in Seattle in 1893.

It was later acquired by now-defunct discount chain Pay 'n Save in 1960.

Ernst's final years were plagued by legal action. In 1992, it sued Walmart for making its business slogan ("Always the low price. Always.") too much like its own ("Always the right price. Always.") Soon afterward it also sued Eagle (yes, with the Edgar commercials) for unfair competition and violation of the state's Consumer Protection Act. Ernst also attacked Pay 'n Save for alleged illegal competition.

Washington state filed a suit against Ernst that same year for inaccurately portraying the prices of its competitors.

That same year, Ernst sued its employees' workers union for alleged defamation and consumer protection violations.

Ernst filed for bankruptcy in 1996 after sustaining heavy losses and went out of business by the end of the year. less

Seattle-based Ernst hardware stores began when two Ernst brothers opened the first location in Seattle in 1893.

It was later acquired by now-defunct discount chain Pay 'n Save in 1960.